The present invention relates to a method for the therapeutical and prophylactic control and treatment of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).
In the late seventies a new disease was reported, which subsequently was referred to as Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrom (AIDS). It is now generally accepted that a retrovirus referred to as Human T-cell Leukemia Virus (HTLV-III) or Lymphadenopathy Associated Virus (LAV) plays an essential role in the etiology of AIDS. This virus will herebelow be denoted HTLV-III.
The full-blown AIDS is characterized by a profound immunodeficiency due to low numbers of a subset of lymphocytes-T-helper cells, which are the targets for HTLV-III lytic infections. The profound immunodeficiency, in the full-blown AIDS patients makes these patients highly susceptible to a variety of opportunistic infections of bacterial, fungal, protozoal or viral etiology. The etiological agents among viral opportunistic infections are often found in the herpes virus group, i.e., Herpes Simplex virus (HSV), Varicella Zoster virus (VZV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and especially cytomegalo virus(CMV).
The discovery of HTLV-III as the likely cause of AIDS has presented a possible target for chemotherapy.